Meeting Prince Charming
by crimebuff
Summary: Felicity never expected her life to change when she attended a matinee performance of Cinderella. Never expected to meet her literal Prince Charming on that stage. Could love at first sight be real?


**Meeting Prince Charming**

"Can you believe we are on the stage of Cinderella?" Felicity exclaimed to her sister, Laura.

"This is the coolest thing ever," Laura agreed. They had just finished seeing a matinee performance of Cinderella and were lucky enough to have been given tickets to a behind the scenes post show event as part of a contest they'd entered. There were about 15 people on the stage exploring as they waited for their guide.

"I am going to look at the pit," Laura said, a music major at university. Felicity nodded and continued to look at the detailed painting of the forest set pieces.

Looking around the intricate stage, Felicity felt herself reliving her favourite moments of the musical. A casual dancer while she had attended university, she had been entranced by the magical dance numbers. Glancing around, she found herself alone in one corner of the stage. Tamping down her awkwardness and embarrassment, she began to dance, keeping her footwork small, trying to mimic the waltzing she'd seen on stage. Losing herself in her imagination, she glided across her corner of the stage. Felicity finished a spin and opened her eyes, looking into the wings.

There she saw Prince Charming. Literally Prince Charming in his white wedding outfit…standing there, watching her. She bit back a gasp as he approached her, embarrassment and shock warring in her.

He stopped in front of her and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

"I don't know the steps." Felicity blushed as he flashed a boyish grin at her.

"That's okay. Just trust me to lead you."

Felicity glanced at his hand then back into his dark blue eyes, so warm and intent on her. Setting her hand in his, she said, "alright." He raised their joined hands into position and pulled her closer, placing his hand on her back where is brushed against the ends of her loose braid. Still blushing, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "But there is no music."

"Yes there is." Humming Ten Minutes Ago, he began to move them slowly across the stage. Self-consciously, Felicity glanced around and saw that everyone was watching them. "Ignore them," Prince Charming whispered. "It is just you and I here. Close your eyes."

She did as he bid and lost herself in the steps and the feel of his arms around her. He was a strong lead, guiding her confidently and clearly despite her inexperience. Her eyes sprung open and locked with his as he stopped humming and began to sing quietly. It was like the entire world had narrowed to just the two of them, two strangers who didn't even know each other's name.

"_Ten minutes ago I saw you. I looked up when you came through the door. My head started reeling, you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor._" While those lyrics had been sung in many theatres, Felicity couldn't help but feel that they took on special meaning in that moment. She gazed at him as he continued to sing and guide them around the stage.

As his part of the song ended, she took a deep breath and began to sing quietly. Though not a confident singer, any concern she felt disappeared immediately as her Prince practically beamed at her. "_Ten minutes ago I met you and we murmured our how do you do's. I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news._"

They continued the song together and much too quickly for Felicity, it came to an end. "_I may never come down to earth again_." As the final notes faded, the pair came to a stop. The silence loomed around them as both were oblivious to the others on the stage. The Prince raised his hand and gently cupped Felicity's cheek, leaving her breathless. Slowly he leaned in and Felicity's eyes fluttered shut. After what felt like a second and an eternity, their lips met. It was a chaste kiss, but Felicity felt her heart surge. They both pulled back, locking eyes.

Dropping their arms, the Prince kept a hold of her hand, "I'm Daniel."

"Felicity."

"It's nice to meet you Felicity," Daniel raised her hand and kissed it.

She felt her hand tingling under his lips. "You as well Daniel."

Quickly looking around the stage and seeing that everyone was watching them, Daniel asked," could I talk to you privately for a minute?" Felicity nodded and he led her backstage by their joined hands.

In that brief time, Felicity felt herself freaking out, questioning what she had done. Kissing a stranger, dancing with him, especially with everyone watching – that was not her. She was so distracted that she didn't notice Daniel stop walking to let some crew move scenery past them and bumped into him hard. She started to fall, but was saved as Daniel caught her round the waist and pulled her into him.

"Are you alright?" he murmured, their faces close. Felicity nodded breathless, as her eyes flickered towards his lips. The tension built between them immediately and it was only a second before they surged together. While their first kiss had been sweet and small, this kiss was the opposite, full of heat and passion. Daniel slid his hands around her back and pulled Felicity tighter against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted herself on her toes to get closer. A crash nearby broke them apart though Daniel kept a hold of her hand. They awkwardly glanced at each other, then started laughing.

"Come on, let's go to my dressing room so we can talk in private."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Felicity asked.

Daniel grinned roguishly at her, "I promise to keep my hands to myself."

"What if I don't want you to?" Felicity clapped her hand over her mouth, "oh my God, I am sorry. I can't believe I said that." Her face burned with embarrassment.

Daniel chuckled and pulled her hand off her mouth. "Don't be sorry. Come on." Walking through the backstage area and down the corridor to the dressing rooms, Felicity tried not to let her mind take over. Pausing in front of his dressing room, Daniel opened the door and gestured for her to go in ahead of him. Felicity scanned the room and taking note of all the photos and mementos scattered around the room. Hearing the door shut, she turned around to look at Daniel. He was watching her, looking a bit nervous.

She smiled softly at him and tucked some hair behind her ear, not sure what to say now.

Daniel cleared his throat, "I am sorry if I overwhelmed you Felicity." He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"You didn't at all," Felicity looked down at her hands and continued. "I've never felt like that before, that kind of connection. Not that I am saying you felt it too." She could feel her words speeding up, as nerves grew. She didn't want to project her emotions onto him and scare him away.

Daniel stopped her talking by lifting her chin so that they were looking at each other again. "I've never felt like that either." They leaned in for a kiss, but a knock at the door interrupted them. Daniel called out, "give me a minute." Addressing Felicity, he said, "it will be wardrobe coming to get my costume."

"I should get out of your way." Felicity took a step back, but Daniel stopped her.

"What if I said that I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet." Felicity smiled pleased by his request and nodded. "Okay why don't you finish your tour then join me for an early dinner? On days when we have a matinee, a group of us cast get dinner together then watch a movie."

"I'm here with my sister."

"She is welcome to join us of course," Daniel looked at her beseechingly.

"I'd love to." Nothing interrupted them this time as Daniel leaned down to kiss her.

Felicity kept her head down during the rest of the tour, trying to ignore the whispers of the other participants. Thankfully when she had returned, the tour had started so no one had been able to ask her any questions, despite the number of glances in her direction. Laura had given her a curious look when she returned, but knew to wait until they were alone to ask anything. As the tour ended, Felicity saw Daniel standing in the wings and grabbed Laura to join him.

"Daniel this is my sister Laura," Felicity introduced them.

Shaking Laura's hand, he said, "it's nice to meet you Laura. You both ready for dinner?"

Felicity turned to Laura, "Daniel invited us to hang out with him and some of the other cast members this afternoon. I hope that's alright with you."

"Sounds great. I'd love to pick your brains about music," Laura replied. Daniel turned away and led them through the backstage maze, giving them a bit of space. Laura whispered to Felicity, "I think you mean he wants to spend some time with you." Felicity nudged her to be quiet as Daniel stopped, motioning towards the small group of people who had gathered by the door.

He held out his hand for Felicity, who took it and they joined the group. "Everyone this is Felicity and Laura." He introduced everyone in the group and they headed to a nearby café. Once they arrived, Daniel and the other two gentlemen went to get a table, leaving Felicity and Laura with a very curious group of ladies.

"So how did you meet Daniel?" Cara, one of the chorus actors, asked.

"Didn't you see them onstage?" Lindsay, one of the stepsisters, exclaimed. She had been in the wings and saw their dance, so she regaled the rest of the group with the story. Felicity blushed hotly, but didn't say a word. It was all true, ridiculously and unexpectedly true so what could she say. Thankfully the men rejoined them just as the tale ended, at least ensuring that Daniel was with her for the subsequent question period.

Eventually the attention turned away from them and to more general topics. Despite having just met everyone, Felicity and Laura carried their own and got on well with the group. After eating, they all headed back to the theatre and piled into Daniel's dressing room to watch a film.

Daniel settled into his armchair and pulled Felicity onto his lap. She sat their rigidly for a moment, self-conscious of their audience before deciding she didn't care. She relaxed, curling up on him. He kissed her hair and wrapped his arms around her tightly. They spent much of the movie whispering to each other, resulting in various items being thrown at them by the others.

When the movie ended, everyone went their own way to rest and prepare for the next show. Laura went with Cara to explore more of the backstage area and give Daniel and Felicity some time alone.

Still curled up on his lap, Felicity whispered, "now it's my turn to say I'm not ready to say goodbye."

"Me neither," Daniel agreed. "Do you have plans tonight?" When she shook her head, he asked, "would you be willing to watch the play again if I can get you and Laura seats?"

"Of course we'll stay, even if you can't get seats. We'll just hang out backstage, out of the way."

Daniel was able to get them seats and they spent the rest of the time getting to know each other. He told her about the various shows he'd been a part of and how so much travel affected his personal life. She told him about how hard it was to live halfway across the country from her family for work, but how much she loved her job. Eventually it was time for Daniel to start getting ready for the performance.

"Do you want me to leave?" Felicity asked, as his makeup artist came in.

"Stay," he requested, reaching for her hand. She smiled and settled in the chair beside him.

After makeup came wardrobe. While Daniel needed help with his armour for the first scene, the rest of the costume he could deal with himself so the wardrobe assistant would only come in at the end. Felicity turned to face the door to give him some privacy to change.

"Felicity can you pass me the white shirt on the rack by the door?" She grabbed what he asked for then turned around thinking that he'd be wearing an undershirt. Instead, he was standing in front of her in only his trousers and boots. Sparse hair covered his toned chest, muscles well defined. She was certain her jaw dropped through she was completely unaware of it. Daniel seemed to notice her surprise and became apologetic. "Sorry Lissy. I'm so used to changing in front of other people being in the theatre. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm not uncomfortable," her voice cracked, her face flushed red and hot. "You just surprised me."

Daniel took a step forward to grab his shirt from her, but Felicity took a step back. Confused, he moved forward again, and again she stepped back, stopped by the wall. "What are you doing?"

"If you come any closer, I won't be able to stop myself from kissing you and I don't want to ruin your makeup." Felicity barely had time to let out a gasp as Daniel's eyes instantly darkened and he was directly in front of her, barely an between their bodies with his hands on the wall on either side of her head. She gripped the shirt in both hands as she tried to resist the temptation to kiss him, touch him.

"I have to do touch-ups after I change anyways," Daniel murmured again her lips, "so don't worry about that." Pulling the shirt from her hands, he tossed it on a chair. Grabbing her wrists, he placed her hands on his chest then let them go, returning his hands to the wall. Felicity dropped her gaze to her hands, took a deep breath and began moving them lightly, mapping out his chest. She could feel his heart rate increasing and sensed his impatience to touch her as well, but he waited.

Eventually Felicity lifted her eyes to meet his again. His eyes were near black with desire and she was pretty sure that hers were the same. Surging together, Felicity wrapped her arms around his back as Daniel anchored their bodies together with one hand around her waist and their lips together with the other as he buried it in her hair. When oxygen became necessary, Daniel trailed kisses down her neck causing her to whimper and gasp.

A knock on the door was followed by a muffled call, "20 minutes till curtain."

Groaning Daniel stopped his ministrations and rested his forehead against hers, both breathing heavily.

"What are you doing to me Daniel?" Felicity whispered. A rather shy person by nature with limited experience with men, this tendency to say exactly what she was feeling and seeming inability to stay away from Daniel was disconcerting to say the least. She'd never felt like this with her previous boyfriends at the beginning of their relationship or even after months of dating. With Daniel, it didn't matter that it had only been a day, it was as real as if it had been a year.

Daniel kissed her gently, "you're doing it right back to me Lissy." Taking a step back, he grinned ruefully, "I better finished getting dressed."

Felicity pushed herself off the wall and took a slightly wobbly step towards the door, know if she stayed that he'd never be ready in time. "I should go find Laura and get to our seats."

"I'll see you after the show. Just come backstage, I'll let everyone know you're allowed." Felicity nodded and went to grab the doorknob, but Daniel stopped her. Looking at her so earnestly, he said, "I need you to know that when I'm singing tonight, when I'm kissing on that stage, I will be thinking of you."

Felicity felt like her heart was bursting and she kissed him softly. "I'll see you after the show."

Felicity was sitting on the stairs of the ballroom set, watching the stagehands clean and reset the stage. Laura was hanging out with some of the pit band and Felicity was waiting for Daniel to change. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Daniel come on the stage and ask the others to leave.

"_Do I love you because you're beautiful or are you beautiful because I love you_." Felicity looked up and smiled at him, as he approached her singing. Holding out a hand, he pulled her from the steps into his arms. Holding her close, they swayed around the stage as he continued the song. "_Am I making believe I see in you, a girl to lovely to be really true."_

Far too soon the song ended, but they continued to sway. Daniel tightened his hold on her and whispered, "how am I going to let you go?" Felicity could feel his heart racing they were so close and his hand flexing on her back, belying his nerves. "I've never felt like this before, definitely not with someone I just met." He stopped moving and pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. He wanted her to see the truth reflected in them. "With you though, I can't imagine not having you with me every day."

"I have to go back home," Felicity's voice wavered as her eyes grew a bit wet. "I have to go back to work. God I wish I could stay here with you. You, us, this is everything I've ever dreamed of." A single tear tracked down her cheek.

Daniel brushed the tear away and hugged her tightly. "We can make this work. I know we can."

The next year passed with a series of trials and joys for the couple. Though they were only able to see each other in person for a few long weekends and a couple extended trips due to their work schedules, they remained devoted to each other.

Six months after they met, Cinderella went on tour and while it made visiting more difficult, they were lucky enough that Felicity's town was on the docket. It would be coming for three weeks about six months into the tour. Felicity arranged to have as much time as she could off from work and Daniel arranged for her to have tickets to nearly half the shows.

The fateful day finally arrived and Felicity was waiting outside the theatre when the bus arrived. The door opened and Daniel sprinted off towards her. She opened her arms and squealed as he lifted her, spinning them around.

"I have missed you so much," Daniel murmured, setting her down and kissing her heatedly, ignoring the cheers of the others as they got off the bus.

"I've missed you too," Felicity said when they finally emerged for air. "I can't believe you're really here." Daniel slung his arm over her shoulders and they headed into the theatre.

The next few days were full of rehearsals, stage set up and blocking in the new space. Despite the busyness, Daniel and Felicity were rarely out of each other's sight or each other's arms.

When opening night arrived, Felicity was unable to join Daniel backstage before the show as he had gotten her extra front row tickets for her friends. It was the first time Felicity had seen the show since they'd met a year ago and she found herself absorbed in the music and story as much as the first time she'd seen it. It didn't hurt watching Daniel for two hours either.

The cast received a standing ovation as they bowed and waved at the crowd. However instead of exiting the stage like they normally would, the cast took a step back and Daniel moved forward. Felicity looked at him confused, but he waited to speak until the crowd was quiet.

"Hello everyone. We want to thank you all for welcoming us to your wonderful city." The crowd cheered again and he smiled before gesturing for them to quiet. "I would like to thank someone in particular tonight." Daniel addressed her, "Felicity, would you join me up here?"

Felicity had no idea what he was doing, but her friends pushed her towards the stairs, the audience cheering loudly. She blushed hotly as she walked up the stairs and across the stage. Felicity kept her eyes fixed on the ground until she reached Daniel, lest the crowd overwhelm her. Once she was in front of him, eyes looked on his, he gently grabbed her hands and began to speak.

"Felicity, I know it's only been a year since we met, on a stage very much like this, but from the moment I saw you, you enchanted me. And since that first day, you've become my best friend, my comfort and support." Felicity squeezed his hands and smiled at him teary eyed. Her life had changed the moment he entered it too. He also seemed a bit teary eyed and had to clear his throat before continuing. "You've changed my life Lissy. I am a better man with you by my side." He knelt in front of her and she gasped as the crowd erupted into wild cheers. She could only see and hear Daniel though. "Felicity I love you more than anything in the world. I want to spend the rest of our lives loving you, protecting you and simply being with you." Felicity could feel the tears tracking down her cheeks, which felt like they were bursting with her smile. "Felicity would you so me the greatest honour and marry me?" He pulled a gorgeous diamond ring from his pocket and waited anxiously for her answer.

Unable to produce any words, Felicity nodded, beaming as he slipped the ring onto her finger, kissing her hands. He rose to his feet and she threw herself into his arms, kissing him desperately. She murmured, "I love you," against his lips between kisses as the cast gathered around them with congratulations and her friends ran up on stage to join them.

Pulling back slightly, they locked eyes. Daniel asked, "are you ready for the rest of our lives my love?"

They had a lot to figure out with careers and where to live, but they could do it. Felicity grinned, "with you by my side, I'm ready for anything."

And they lived, as the stories go, happily ever after.


End file.
